Apparatus for forming decorative bows



July 6, 1965 J. MONTOYA 3,

APPARATUS FOR FORMING DECORATIVE Bows Filed Aug. 21, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet1 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 6, 1965 J. L. MONTOYA APPARATUS FOR FORMINGDECORATIVE BOWS July 6, 1965 J. MONTOYA APPARATUS FOR FORMING DECORATIVEBOWS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 21, 1963 aw x9 United States Patent3,193,162 APPARATUS FOR FGRMING DECGRATIVE BGWS Jonas L. Montoya, SaukVillage, 111., assignor to Chicago Matrix Corp, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Illinois Filed Aug. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 303,615 4 Claims.(Cl. 223-46) This invention relates generally to an apparatus forfacilitating the manual formation of decorative bows. It is acontinuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 184,755, filed April3, 1962, and now abandoned. It is especially concerned with providing aneconomical means which can be used by the average layman to double aribbon or narrow strip material into a plurality of loops to form a bow.

In wrapping gifts, packages or other types of packaging wherein adecorative touch is desired, quite frequently the package is decoratedwith a bow formed from ribbon which is secured to one of the surfaces ofthe package by a suitable fastening means. Although there is automaticmachinery available for the mass production of ornamental bows which aresold over the counter in package lots, the use of apparatus forfacilitating the forming of bows by amateurs has not had widespread usebecause of the complexity of the apparatus and the expense entailed inits manufacture, production and sale. As a result, amateurs, in formingornamental bows from ribbon, have used makeshift arrangements which donot provide an end result having a professional finish. In accordancewith this invention, however, there is provided a simple apparatus whichcan be adapted for forming ornamental bows with a minimum of effort anda maximum effect.

Moreover, aside from providing a means for making a pretty anddecorative ornament on gift wrapped packages and the like, theinexpensive device can be used as an inducement in promoting sales ofvarious items, e.g., ribbon, gift wrapping. My bow forming device couldbe given free to all persons purchasing a roll of ribbon and/ orwrapping material. The bow form and a fastening pin which cooperateswith the form to make a desired bow product could be included in apackage containing a roll of ribbon or other materials. The thought ofbeing able to produce a decorative bow having the appearance of beingmade by a professional with a minimum amount of time and effort wouldinduce purchasers to buy the product or products being promoted. Theresult of such a scheme would increase sales of the promoted articles.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a bow forming apparatus ofthis invention employed in the formation of three-loop bows or bowshaving multiples of three loops;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view showing on a smaller scale the deviceillustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is another embodiment of the instant invention for theformation of three-loop bows wherein an adhesive face is provided forattaching the apparatus to a suitable handle;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional side view showing the apparatus of FIGURE3 mounted on a spool upon which ribbon is conventionally marketed;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of still another embodiment of the instantinvention wherein bows of five loops or multiples thereof can be formed;

FIGURE 6 shows a plane view of a bow being formed in a five-loop bowforming device with the overlapping ribbons being punched prior toinsertion of a bow-fastening pin which keeps the bow from losing itsshape upon removal from the bow form;

3,193,162 Patented July 6, 1965 FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken alongline 7-7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 shows another embodiment of the bow forming device;

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 99 of FIGURE 8showing the pin in a locked position;

FIGURE 10 shows another embodiment of the bow forming apparatus;

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIGURE 10showing the pin in a locked position;

FIGURE 12 shows another embodiment of the bow forming device;

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along lines 1313 of FIGURE 12showing the pin in a locked position;

FIGURE 14 is a fragmentary view taken along line 14-14 in FIGURE 13showing the locking means of the P FIGURE 15 shows another embodiment ofa bow forming device;

FIGURE 16 is a sectional view taken along line 16-16 in FIGURE 15showing the pin in a locked position and a bow form holder for the bowforming operator; and

FIGURE 17 is a view of the bow-fastening pin used with the bow formingapparatus of FIGURE 15.

Also illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6 is the manipulative technique foreffecting the formation of the bow using the apparatus of thisinvention.

Referring to the figures, it will be seen that the bow forming apparatusof this invention comprises the base member 10 having laterally andradially depending therefrom a plurality of flexible fingers 11 eachfinger being rooted to the base member 10. To facilitate holding thebase member, a handle 13 is provided which is secured to one face of thebase member 10. An aperture 12 is provided at the geometric center ofbase member 10 and is used, as will hereinafter be discussed, to permitthe use of a fastener for securing the plurality of loops into a unitarybow. In order to permit access to aperture 12 from both sides of basemember 10, handle 13 is tubular in configuration and of an extentsuflicient only to permit the convenient handling of the apparatus whilethe bow is being formed. This arrangement is shown in FIGURE 2 whereinhandle 13 is formed from a short length of a cylindrical tube andattached to one face of base 10 by cementing with adhesives or otherconventional forming techniques.

In the event that the bow forming apparatus of this invention ismanufactured and sold without an integral handle element, a handle canbe conveniently provided by providing on one face of base member 10 adisc of a pressure sensitive adhesive 14 which is covered with a tearsheet 15 for the purposes of retaining the adhesive disc in an inactivestate prior to its being attached to a suitable handle. While a numberof expedients can be employed as a handle to which the base member 10can be attached by means of the pressure sensitive adhesive, oneconvenient handle is provided by the conventional spools which are usedto dispense ribbon in stores, gift shops and other retail outlets. Wherethis expedient is employed, the bow forming apparatus of this inventioncan be dispensed as a separate item or in conjunction with the sale ofribbon on such bows and, when used as a bow forming apparatus, it can beadapted directly to one face of the spool as shown in FIGURE 4.

In this application of the instant invention, the base member 10, havingan adhesive disc 14 applied to one face thereof, overlays one side ofribbon spool 16 which has a central hole 17 which can be axially alignedwith aperture 12. With this arrangement, a sufficient length of ribboncan be unfurled from spool 16 and used to form a ribbon up L.

by proper manipulation of the bow forming apparatus of I this invention.

In employing the bow forming apparatus of this invention in forming aplurality of loops which are assembled J the initial finger. from whichthe bow forming operation is initiated. As shown in FIGURE 5, the ribbonis then brought to the side of .a cooperating finger diametricallyopposed to the leading edge of the first finger and looped under thetrailing edge of the cooperating finger and brought around'to itsleading edge.' Theribbon is then pulled diametrically across the face ofthe base member 10 to the next cooperating finger around its trailingedge inventionis shown. Here thepin holding device'consists of flaps 20and 21 whichxare cut into base member 10. Pin 43 has a cone-shaped head23 located at one end while and leading edge. This procedure iscontinued'until a sufficient number of loops have been formed. Where asingle multiple of loops is desired, the maniplation can terminate assoon as all of the fingers have been engaged; In the event, however,that a multiple number of loops is desired, the manipulation cancontinue as before, in each instance bringingwthe bow from the leadingedge of one finger diametrically across the base member and aroundthetrailing edge of a cooperating finger. When asufficient number ofmultiples have beenformed, the loops are secured together by means of abrass fastener, staple or other fastening means which is inserted at theintersec: tion of the loops.

and any one of the flexible fingers, which are adapted to being bentsubstantially 90, is flexed into a bent position which will permit theloops mounted thereon to he slipped its trailing edge, brought around toits leading edge, and pulled diametrically'across the face of the basemember. As the ribbon crosses the face of the base member, it ispunctured by and pulled onto'ribbon cross pin 16. Thereafter, the ribbonis brought to the next cooperating finger, around its trailingedge andleading edge'where it is again punctured by and pulled onto ribbon crosspin-'16. If desired,-however, the bow could be completely formed ;on theapparatus after which the bow could be slit with punch 50'and pin 16inserted as a permanent fastener.

This procedure is continued. until a sufiicient number of loops havebeen formed. The loops are then removed from the apparatus in the mannerpreviously described and pin. 16 is removed from its f'rictionallymaintained position. The bow is kept from sliding off shaft 16:: due

to the siieof the diameters of the base of cone-shaped head 1Q andcircularhead 17. Y

. In FIGURES l0 and 11, a further embodiment of my a circular head 24 islocated at the other. The. diameter of flaps and maintained in thisposition. due to pressure exoff; Each of the other fingers is thenflexed into a bent' position laterally'outwardly from the base member ina direction away fromthe handle-means used to hold the bow formingapparatus and suflicient to remove the loops.

formed thereon, until the formed bow can be removed from the apparatus.7 In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 6 and 7,'the

ing pointed tip 51 through this aperture, the ribbon overlying theaperture will be pierced. The punch is then removed and a fastener,staple or'other suitable fastening means can be inserted in the slitmadeby punch to 'erted by the flexed flaps as they attemptto return totheir original position. I I

FIGURES 1 2, 13 and 14 disclose an additionalmodification of my pinholding device. Here slots: 27, 28 are centrally located in base 10, theslots intersecting one an- .other at about 90. Pin 26 has a cone-shapedhead 29 at one end and base 30 at the other. Extending outwardly frombase 30 in a direction away from head 29 are insertion. members; 31,. 32, which intersectwith each other in a manner corresponding to the.intersection of slots '27, 28. When the device is in operation,insertion members 31'and 32 are pressed into slots-27, -28 and the pinis frictionally maintainedin,thisposition.

Another modification of the pin holding means is shown in FIGURES 15,16and 17. A slotted retaining member 32 is connected to one face of basemember 10 by means 5' of rivets. 35. Rivets 35 also hold a cuplikehandle 34 V to the'other face ofbase member 10. The slot in pinretaining member '32 tapers inwardly from outerxedge 37 to theinnerpartof member 32. Further, the sides of the slot are sloped fromone face of member 32 to the other. Pin 38 has a shaft 38a with acone-shaped head 39 on one endof shaft 38aand circular head 42 at theother. The diameter of circular head His slightly larger 1 than thelargest width of the slot in member 32 and its permanently hold'thelayers of overlapped ribbon togetlier, The fasteningmeans, hereinafterdescribed, per?" mits angular adjustment between the loops and multiple,

slotted portion 41 is locatedin basemernb er 16. Pin 16 comprises shaft16a with circular head 18 located on: one

end of shaft'16a and cone-shaped head 19 on the remain-' thickness isslightly less than the thickness of member 32. -The diameter of shaft38a is at most equal to thenar- I rowest width of the 'slot of member32; This pin is frictionallymaintained in the slot when the. device isopera- -tive. Though handle 34 and pin retaining member 32 ing end. Thediameter of shaft 16a is slightly larger tha'n the narrowest Width ofslotted. portion '41. The base of width of slotted portion 41 but lessthan the diameter of circular portion 40. When the bow forming device is7 ready for use, fastening pin lfi'is'conveniently"inserted,

have been illustrated as being riveted to the respective faces of basemember 10, these members could be bonded to or made integral with basemember 10 by any suitable means. p

The fastening pin illustrated in the various embodiments of my inventioncan be made of a plastic or other suitable material. Further, thoughpunch'13 was used to put a slit in the, overlapping.ribbonsprior toinsertion of a into aperture 15 and pressed into slotted portiondliwithheads 17 and 18 each abutting a face of base member 10,

pin 16 being frictionally retained in this'position'. The free end of aribbon is attached to the device. The ribvention, it is'preferable thatthe base member and cooperating. fingers attached thereto beintegrallyformed from a plastic sheeting having resilientcharacteristics.

It has been found that non-linearpolyethylene is suitable to effectuatethe objectives of this inventions However,

otherplastic materials such'as polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and'thelike, or even resilient metal strips can 3,1 be used, provided that thefinger members can be afiorded resiliency to permit them to be flexedinto a bent position necessary for removal of the formed bow. Fingersformed from plastic sheeting 7 to 15 mils thick afford sufiicientflexibility. The thickness, however, depends upon the resiliency andflexibility of construction used. For example, mil thick polyethyleneprovides a satisfactory material.

While it is preferred that the assembly of the fingers and base memberbe integrally formed, depending upon the manufacturing facilities, it ispossible to use a separate base member and a separate set of fingers andjoin the respective elements by suitable fastening techniques.

lthough the illustrated embodiments show the use of three finger andfive finger members, bow forming apparatus constructed in accordancewith this invention can be prepared which will produce seven point bows.The number of fingers which is utilized is an odd number, namely, three,five, seven, nine, etc. Although any odd number of fingers can beemployed, from a practical standpoint it is preferred that three, fiveor seven fingers be utilized. More fingers than this povides anunwieldly apparatus unless very narrow ribbon or string is used, inwhich case as many as fifteen to twenty-one fingers can be employed.

It will be noted from the drawings that the relationship and width ofthe fingers is such that the ribbon must be drawn from the leading edgeof one finger across the center of the base member to the trailing edgeof an opposed cooperating finger. In FIGURE 5, the trailing edges of thefingers are numbered 70 and the leading edges are numbered 80. Thus,while the number of fingers, whether three, five, seven or more, areradially oriented and each angularly displaced from the other an equalnumber of degrees, the width of the finger at its root with base member10 must be such that the face of the ribbon is drawn across the centerof the base member. In other words, the width of the fingers at the basemember is such as to provide intersections between leading and trailingedges of the fingers with some of the intersections diametricallyopposed to other such intersections to provide ribbon stringing pathstherefrom that meet in the center of the base. This is an importantstructural aspect because it permits the various layers of ribbon to besecured by means of a suitable fastener in the center of the bow wherethe ribbon strips overlap one another. The length of the finger needonly be sufficient to permit the ribbon to be held in place thereon. Inthe event that the fingers and base member :are integrally formed from asingle sheet of plastic, conventional design concepts should be followedand sharp corners where abrupt changes in direction of peripheraloutline occur should be made on a radius in order to avoid the severingof the arm from the base member upon flexing.

The instant invention has application in the formation of ornamentalbows from various fabric ribbon materials of different widths. It ispreferred, in the event that ribbon bows are formed, that ribbonsvarying from /8" wide to agree 1 /2" wide be employed in order that thefingers can conveniently be formed.

Although the instant invention has been described with reference to anumber of specific illustrative embodiments, it is apparent thatvariations and modifications therein can be effected by one skilled inthe art to which this invention pertains, without departing from thespirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, it is intended that thesubject invention be limited only in the manner described in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for the manual forming of an ornamental and decorative bow,said device consisting essentially of a planar base member havingradially extending therefrom at least three thin, resilient and flexiblefingers equally spaced from each other for releasably holding theindividual loops of ribbon making up the bow, the fingers having rootwidths which determine ribbon paths extending between the leading edgesof said fingers and the trailing edges of generally oppositely disposedfingers, whereby ribbon portions looped about said fingers and bearingon edge portions of the base member extending between said fingers andfollowing said ribbon paths will overlay one another on the geometriccenter of said base member, said fingers being manually bendablesubstantially out of the plane of said base member along lines of bendwhich extend across the root portions of said fingers.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base member andfingers are made of polyethylene.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said base member has anopening at its geometric center for the passage of a fastening means forsecuring ribbon portions overlaying one another on the geometric centerof said base member.

4. A device in accordance with claim 3, further including bow fasteningmeans for passing through said opening for fastening together overlayingribbon portions overlaying one another on the geometric center of saidbase member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,011,617 8/35Cottrell 22346 X 2,093,828 9/37 Carlson 22346 X 2,413,955 1/47 Cottrell22346 X 2,860,399 11/58 Bates 22346 X 3,021,038 2/62 Dean 223463,044,670 7/62 Barefoot 22346 3,061,153 10/62 Rector 22346 FOREIGNPATENTS 477,852 8/15 France.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

1. A DEVICE FOR THE MANUAL FORMING OF AN ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE BOW,SAID DEVICE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A PLANAR BASE MEMBER HAVINGRADIALLY EXTENDING THEREFROM AT LEAST THREE THIN, RESILIENT AND FLEXIBLEFINGERS EQUALLY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER FOR RELEASABLY HOLDING THEINDIVIDUAL LOOPS OF RIBBON MAKING UP THE BOW, THE FINGERS HAVING ROOTWIDTHS WHICH DETERMINE RIBBON PATHS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE LEADING EDGESOF SAID FINGERS AND THE TRAILING EDGES OF GENERALLY OPPOSITELY DISPOSEDFINGERS, WHEREBY RIBBON PORTIONS LOOPED ABOUT SAID FINGERS AND BEARIN ONEDGE PORTIONS OF THE BASE MEMBER EXTENDING